LET’S TALK ABOUT CRPS

As I usually do, I would like to talk about CRPS to my patients or all those that are simply curious or occasional web surfers without the presumption to teach anything to anyone.

Unfortunately this is a very hard subject to explain and to understand; these patients are tired to be defined as “unwanted”, they are tired of being told what they have to and don’t have to do. They want to know if and when they will recover.

They don’t want to hear words suited to the occasion but true words from their therapist about their mysterious pathology which has damaged them cravenly.

I spend a lot of time surfing websites all over the world regarding this topic and I got shocked when I noticed that the cry out “HELP!!” was the same in all places. The answer of the scientific world to this cry is given only by usual treatments such as: physioterapy, lymphatic drainage, pain killers, massages, tecar, laser, contrast bath therapy, TENS, tactile desensitization, progressive weight bearing, magneto therapy, mirror therapy…

I have thought about all this and I asked myself: Why isn’t there an univocity of views? If you pay attention they propose you everything and the opposite of everything to solve your problem. They want the immobilization with the orthopedic brace and at the same time they force the joints with the physiokinesitherapy, cold and hot, rest and exercise, etc….

And then you can find pages and pages of all the possible causes of CRPS, whole treatises about neurophysiopathology that don’t give us the answer we are looking for.

``Che devo fare per uscire da questo calvario?”

And this is the problem! We are very good at beating around the bush when we talk about the etiopathogenesis of the disease, 200 synonyms or 300 different therapies that should help the patient but when we have to give answers about the prognosis or regarding the possible cure…that is the end! folks.

The truth is that it is not possible to make serious prediction because the part damaged by CRPS is a LIVING and INDEPENDENT part of the body under the control of the ANS (Autonomic Nervous System).

This is a real luck for us! The ANS only wants to defend us from the trauma but it enters in a vicious circle from which it is not able to get out of.

At this point… what do we do to help it? We attack it, massage it, prick it, warm it up, cool it, mobilize it and even put it in a plaster cast. This causes pain, more pain.